Friday morning, March 20, 2015, Frank Daniel Strimbold passed away peacefully in the Burns Lake Hospital after a long struggle with cancer. He was 75 years old.
Born on December 17, 1939 to a pioneering family (since 1906), Frank never lived far from home.
He was a noticeable fixture of the Topley community, perhaps best known for Angus Cattle,
drinking coffee and his ability to talk to anyone.
Unassuming, Frank was a farmer, in gumboots, a Mack jacket and his baseball cap always slightly off-side. Of course, Frank was more. A lover of local history, exotic birds and a good joke. He worked in the bush and later drove school bus. He farmed cattle and raised a family of six children with his “school sweetheart” Dianne (Roberts) Strimbold who he married in 1963.
Frank was heavily involved in the cattle industry for over 50 years. He spent 20 years as a Director of the BC Angus Association, including chair, and represented BC from 2006-12 with the Canadian Angus Association. He and his family participated in 4-H, winning numerous awards with their Angus stock. He and Dianne served as leaders of the Topley 4-H Club and the Bulkley Valley 4-H Senior Council.
Frank also avidly supported the sport of crosscountry skiing; he was involved extensively with the Omineca Ski Club in Burns Lake and served as sport advisor to the BC Winter Games. Frank
also spent 12 years as a Director on the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (Houston Rural).
Since his passing, many have extended condolences. Most often we’ve heard: “Frank
Strimbold was a kind and generous man. He will be dearly missed.” Indeed, Frank leaves behind
his wife, Dianne, his six children: Tanya (husband Monty and grandson Taylor); Lia (husband Brent and grandchildren Shea & Tori); Tony (wife Gina and grandchildren Kian & Daria); Monica (husband Phil and grandson Leo); Todd; Nick (wife Tammy). Frank will also be missed by a large extended family including his sister Linda Bremner (husband Lee) and a legion of friends.
Frank's Celebration of life was held April 4, 2015 at 1 pm at the Topley Community Centre.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Topley 4-H Club or the Canadian Cancer Society.